James H. Fields (1920 - 1970)

Born 16 Jun 1920 in Caddo, Stephens, Texas, United States

Died 17 Jun 1970 at age 50 in Houston, Harris County, Texas

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Biography

James Fields was the son of Rollo and Marguerite Fields. ^[1][2]

James Fields was awarded the Medal of Honor.

On September 27, near Rechicourt, France, Fields led his platoon on a counter-attack against an enemy position and was hit by enemy fire while attending to a wounded man. He was wounded by shrapnel, which rendered him unable to speak. Refusing to be evacuated, Fields continued to lead the attack with the use of hand signals. His advance was stopped by two enemy machine guns which pinned his men down. Though wounded, Fields ran to a machine gun whose crew had been killed, seized the gun, and fired on the enemy emplacements, killing both crews. His personal courage emboldened his men to brave enemy fire and overrun the enemy position. After completing his mission, Fields consented to be evacuated for medical treatment. Only 11 of Fields 55 men survived the attack.

Fields died in Houston on June 17, 1970, and was survived by his wife Mathilde and their three children. He is buried in Houston National Cemetery. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Find a Grave, database and images (findagrave.com/memorial/18090/james-hershel-fields: accessed 03 January 2023), memorial page for CPT James Hershel Fields Sr. (26 Jun 1920–17 Jun 1970), Find A Grave: Memorial #18090, citing Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.
2. ↑ "Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X25Y-TWY : 1 March 2021), James Hershel Fields, 26 Jun 1920; citing Caddo, Stephens, Texas, United States, certificate 32750, Texas Department of Health, Austin; FHL microfilm 4,516,084.

•  :Veteran's War Memorial of Texas on mcallen.net

List of Texans MOH recipients on Texas State Cemetery website